Attorney general won’t probe little Freddie’s death

The government’s chief legal advisor won’t look into the decision not to charge the parents of baby Freddie Neil, despite international outrage and a petition.

Attorney general Jeremy Wright will resist calls to probe the four-week-old’s ‘horrendous and totally avoidable death’ at a house in Rydal Avenue, Blackpool, on Boxing Day, 2014, his office said today.

The scene in Rydal Avenue, central Blackpool, following Freddie's death

Little Freddie was found lodged between a bed and wall in his older brother’s room after, a report revealed, his parents went on a 24-hour bender with pals.

The pair were were arrested on suspicion of neglect and manslaughter but released without charge after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said there wasn’t enough evidence.

After first being published in The Gazette last week, the horrific details surrounding Freddie’s death have been reported around the world.

But Mr Wright’s office said in a statement: “It is the responsibility of the CPS to assess whether it is appropriate to present charges for a criminal court to consider.

“Prosecutors take very difficult decisions and it’s important that these are taken independently of politicians.”

Leading children’s charity Kidscape said the CPS’s decision ‘does not act as a deterrent,’ but a CPS spokesman said: “The decision not to authorise any charges in relation to the death of Freddie Neil was made after reviewing all the available evidence which had been supplied to the CPS by Lancashire police.”

WHAT THE PETITION TO JEREMY WRIGHT SAYS:

“I was appalled to see the CPS is not prosecuting the parents of four-week-old Freddie Neil.